Second Chances
by Crystal Jean
Summary: Picks up when Charlie finds Monroe in Vegas - changes from there. *After the patriots dropped the nukes Charlie swore she'd get justice for her family and the rebels. She swore she'd get Monroe and anyone else in her way. She'd do anything to accomplish it. But, is revenge always about violence?*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first stab at a Revolution fic. Pretty alternate universe, with some somewhat significant changes to the overall plot of things. First chapter, let me know what you think!

Chapter One

The tent she was in stank. It stank of sweat, booze and seasoned hookers.

Charlie had been to New Vegas once before, but never had she stopped to take in the sights. Let alone the fighting tent that was located smack in the middle. People loved to watch other people beat the shit out of each other, and a smart business man would know where to pop the tent to make the most on his bets.

She didn't like the town much. There were too many people, it was too bright, and she had far too much paranoia in her own head to ever consider settling there. Being raised mostly post blackout had changed her perspective. These people were used to the lights, the sounds, and the excitement of a modern society. They missed it. She simply didn't know it. Technology was a foreign concept to her, for the most part.

A drunk fool of a man knocked into Charlie's shoulder as he stumbled by, knocking her out of her musings. She'd made her way around to the side, towards the back of the tent to eye her target without being seen. She stared at him intently as he moved around the ring, fighting his opponent.

"You like what you see, Missy?" She heard someone speak into her ear.

She turned her body slowly to show she acknowledged his existence, her eyes not once moving from the ring. She spoke soft, but sharp, "The shorter one has quite a bit of…stamina. Who is he?"

"Oh, Jimmy? Jimmy there is our best fighter! Rolled into town about two weeks ago and been cleaning house ever sense. Never saw such profits before him!"

Charlie turned her gaze from Jimmy to her conversationalist. Her eyebrow poised in its normal sarcastic position. Mentally, she laughed. _Jimmy_ was such a plain name. Although, she supposed plain was the point. No sense in hiding in a town like this one with something outlandish. She heard someone talking to her again and broke her musings.

"Bets are closed for this fight, but his next one is in three days – if you plan to stick around, I'd be glad to hold your bet for you." He winked at her, a devilish glint in his eyes. He was stout, pudgy but not fat. He was dressed in a somewhat ratty, but mostly clean, outfit. If Charlie had been there to place a bet, she was fairly certain he'd keep his word.

She smiled her lopsided smile, and cocked her head ever so slightly, "Oh, no bet…but," she paused, pulling a small vial out of her pocket filled with about six various sized diamonds and placed it in his hand. She let her soft fingers brush against his palm as she stepped a little closer to him, "I'd be pretty as a peach if you'd show me where he stays. I'd love to…tend to his wounds after his fight."

The tent owner stumbled on himself a bit, glancing from her to the diamonds. He slid them into his pocket. He was sure she wasn't a hooker. They certainly didn't give up diamonds that easily. Jimmy was a damn good fighter but he couldn't turn down free diamonds from a girl who looked like she just wanted a good lay.

Charlie smiled ear to ear as he muttered, "Follow me." She glanced at the man, taking his face one last time before exiting the tent.

* * *

Jimmy fought as if he were doing it for his life. In a sense, he was. If he didn't win, he didn't eat. Diamonds were a more of a commodity post blackout then they were before the lights went out. That wasn't the only reason he fought though. No. He fought to help ease the pain in his own head. The scrambled thoughts of insanity and destruction he'd ended up with over the years. A monster that sought redemption that just didn't know how or where to start.

The man before him was a beast of a man. About as coordinated as a drunk ape, as well. Jimmy made short work of him with only a few injuries to his person. His body was dirty, sweaty and a little bloody. Dark blonde curls were glued to his forehead.

He shrugged off the girls that were pawing at him, while he was stuck in his own mind. He normally would take one…or two, of them afterward but he just wasn't up for it tonight. Whores, whiskey and fighting could only rid you of your thoughts for so long.

The tent owner scrambled up to him as he exited the tent, wiping his face with a towel. "Jimmy! Well done, man!"

A grunt was Jimmy's reply. He held out his hand to collect his earnings and was rewarded with a handful of small diamonds. He pocketed them quickly.

"Tell everyone to leave me alone until the next fight, will ya? I just want to rest." He could see his squabble little home not far from him and it was a relived sight.

The tent owner patted him on his back, "Absolutely Jimmy! But first, there's a surprise for you in your trailer." He patted his back again and ran off before he could hear a disagreement.

Jimmy could do nothing but grunt in utter frustration. If he'd wanted a romp, he'd have found a girl and brought her. Now they were trying to make house calls? If the girl wanted a quick screw, he'd oblige. If only to get her the hell on her way faster.

He opened the door to his well-kept trailer and stomped up the flimsy metal stairs and through the door, shutting it roughly behind him. He turned towards his messy bed and stopped cold.

"Holy shit…" was all he could muster.

* * *

Charlie stood in the trailer, back to the door. She'd gotten there, with the help of the bookie, only about ten minutes before Jimmy did. It gave her few precious moments to scour the area for hidden guns and swords – which she found and promptly hid; sneaking a few of the good ones into her pack she had hidden a few trailers over. Once accomplished, she changed her boots and clothes. If he'd any thought of danger, he wouldn't bother stepping both feet into the space before fleeing.

Her clothes were stashed in her back and her boots were placed beside the bed, for quick access. All she had to do was wait.

All he could do was stare at the girl while she left her face obscured from his view, her arms raised above her head as she put her hair into a bun with a chop stick.

* * *

If she was any type of hooker, stripper, or just your everyday tramp – she was an accomplished one. He felt his pants tighten at the mere sight of her.

She was lean and tan, and not too tall. He could do nothing but stand in shocked silence as he took her in. She was wearing a simple black bikini and her long legs met the perfect swell of her rear. She had tattoos. A few of them, actually. He mused how she got them as he could tell she wasn't old enough for them before the lights went out. He didn't really care, though.

He took in the large piece spanning her lower back, mixed with flowers and vines. She moved just slightly, her hands gliding down her body as she breathed out a soft moan and it brought him back to attention. Literally and figuratively.

The rest was all a blur. He stepped in four more steps, letting the trailer door shut to the side of him. His eyes travelled up, seeing another tattoo across her rib cage.

Two more steps. He was not far from her at this point. Eyes further up her back. He wanted her to turn and show him her face. Surely a body that gorgeous had an equally beautiful face. Hell, even if she didn't, he'd have her on her underneath him on her stomach, screaming his name while he dominated her from above.

He stopped short with a gulp as his eyes finished travelling upward to another tattoo. It was on her left shoulder blade, soft and bright like the rest, as if she just put lotion on. He sucked in air in sudden anger. That tattoo…

A simple piece yet filled with so much meaning. A thick black M surrounded by an equally thick black circle. The infamous symbol to the Monroe Militia and the identifier of his very own name he'd burned off his own forearm to prevent discovery.

"That tattoo. The M! Who the fuck are you?"

She chuckled and it angered him even more. "Answer me!"

The girl sighed, and even angry his pants got tighter as he imagined her taught breasts heave. She spoke softly, "Sebastian Monroe. You'd really talk to your best friend's niece like that? Such dirty language."

She turned and his eyes widened in absolute horror.

"Charlotte?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: dvpdvpdvp: Thank you for your review! – I agree with you wholeheartedly on grammar and spelling. My big pet peeve is short, choppy sentences!

Upon further rereading I noticed a few obnoxious typos I had in my chapter, lol. Just means that I'll have to actually proofread before I post. It was late, if I can use that as an excuse?!

Also! To point out for the readers, too, I don't use a beta – so you will occasionally see things like minor grammatical errors or I fudged up with a small detail. I'll try to catch them before I post it. :)

* * *

If Sebastian Monroe's eyes were opened any wider, they'd have fallen from his head. Standing before him was none other than Charlotte Matheson. Staring at him, her blonde locks up in a sexy school teacher bun and her chest barely covered in a well maintained pre-blackout bikini. Something that would have been on the floor, if it were any other woman.

He was quickly knocked from his internal, horny turmoil when he saw her take a quick little two steps forward. "Stay where you are, Charlotte."

Charlie batted her eyelashes at him coyly, edging her chest forward slightly.

"Cut your shit, Charlotte. Why are you here?" His chest heaved in frustration.

She sighed, and closed the gap between them – which at this point was only three feet, at most. Her blue eyes were glued to his muscular chest for what felt like ages, but were just a few seconds, before snapping to meet his own stark blue eyes. She spoke, drawing out her words, "It took me ages to track you. I came all this way, waited here like a good girl in my nice little outfit and you're being mean to me. It's not very host-like."

Sebastian couldn't help but roll his eyes. He'd wondered how much effort she really put into this…this, rouse. She was kin to Miles Matheson; his best friend for damn near thirty years. They were fucking terrible actors.

He sighed, willing his pants to loosen as she breathed into his ear, her chest barely touching his. Dropping the towel that was forgotten, yet tightly clenched in his hand, his left hand snapped out and grabbed a strong hold of her right wrist. "I'm not stupid, Charlotte. Nor am I any of those young idiots you must spend your time with that loses sight of what's in front of them when confronted by a pair of nice tits. I'm only asking you one more time…Why are you here?"

Charlie's fake smile fell. She knew he wouldn't actually fall for her pathetically sad attempt at seduction. Subtly had never been her forte. The part of her plan that did work, however, was the fact that he was in front of her and unarmed.

She couldn't help but pout though. "Saw right through me, huh? And here I thought you were a sucker for a pretty pair."

That was all it took. He had no intentions of seriously hurting her, but Sebastian Monroe was no fool. Still hanging on to her wrist, he swung his free hand out in a wide, obnoxious arch. If she didn't block it, he'd given her far too much credit in the past.

It was, of course, easily blocked. Charlie was by no means dressed to fight, but she had a goal. She was slowly driving herself insane, harboring all the rage she felt. She saw red every day. Everyone except Miles she saw as a threat. She couldn't take the pain anymore, and anything she had to do to get it to stop, she would.

"Who have you been fighting if that's how you swing? I feel like age might be catching up to you, Monroe."

"In case you forgot, I still have a hold of your wrist. Doesn't matter how I swing if you can't back up to hit me back."

She laughed and strung out her words, "Wroooong. Has the dementia set in?"

Her face went deadly serious as she extended out the fingers of her hand. Twisting her wrist so her thumb faced her body, she quickly and violently yanked her hand and wrist clear of his hold and pivoted her body toward him. Her wrist hand was clenched so tight, her knuckles had gone white. She struck him across the jaw.

Sebastian stumbled back in surprise, and landed against the small dining table. He had very little time to register he'd actually been hit when she advanced on him, fists and swear words flying at every direction possible.

"Charlotte, Stop! I don't want to hurt you!" She hit him in the stomach and the air flew out of his lungs. He knew she wanted to kill him, and he deserved every ounce of her hate, but even monsters have a sense of self-preservation.

He blocked a swift punch from her and twisted his own body into hers, upper cutting the left side of her body with a quick, brutal punch. He felt his heart squeeze in agony as she cried out in strangled pain and started wheezing. It was something he hadn't felt in years.

During Charlotte's momentary paralysis, Sebastian shoved her backwards the few feet from the table to his bed, letting her fall when the back of her legs hit the edge, before climbing on top of her. He let his heavy body settle on hers, knees digging into the bed, one to each side of her body and pinned her wrists above her head. If Miles _ever_ saw him on his niece the way he was now? He'd be dead before anyone could blink.

"Charlotte, I said stop!"

Charlie wheezed out a breath before she stared up at her target. Maybe she had both overestimated her capabilities and underestimated Sebastian Monroe's overall strength. If she looked at herself as an unbiased outsider – she was damn sure she'd accomplished both equally well.

"Get off me! Get off me, now!" She screamed and struggled against her captor. She felt the chopstick in her hair digging into the top of her neck. She couldn't help but wiggle and move her body like a worm, despite knowing full well she wasn't getting anywhere.

Sebastian gulped. That tightness in his pants again had reared its head. Quite fucking literally. He dug his knees into her thighs roughly, half hoping he left bruises. He just wanted her to _stop moving_ around. "Stop wiggling or we're both going to have a whole different set of issues to deal with."

She stilled immediately and all of a sudden she could feel exactly what he was talking about, pressing into her lower abdomen. "Good God. Get off me!"

"You're the one with your body barely covered, in _my_ trailer I might add. If you had stopped when I told you to, I wouldn't be on top of you right now. Although, by the way you're dressed, I'd say that's exactly where you want me."

Charlie rolled her eyes and groaned, "I swear I'm going to damage you in ways that are going to make you wish I had killed you!"

He laughed. Honestly laughed. His chest felt a little weird while he did it, too. Grinning, he climbed off her and extended a hand to help her off the bed, and he couldn't help but notice the tingle that shot up his arm when she grabbed it tightly and heaved herself into a standing position.

"If we were anywhere else, you'd be dead right now." She said.

"No, I wouldn't. It's incredibly stupid of you to assume you were going to beat me in a bareknuckle attack with no weapons. Even then, you'd have a hell of a time." He grunted back at her, turning to his tiny dresser and stuck his hands into one of the drawers he'd opened.

"Tooting your own horn, are we?"

"It's not bragging when it's true, Charlotte. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I just don't want to hurt you anymore…"

She didn't quite notice the emphasis he put on the word '_you'_ as her hands numbly accepted the shirt he extended to her. It was a simple, dark green button up. She slipped it around her body and buttoned three of the buttons in the middle. She sat on his bed in a huff and grabbed her boots to slip back on her bare feet.

She huffed again, "Fine. Miles told me this would be a waste of my time. You don't scare me, Monroe. Eventually, I'm going to find a way to kill you and the last bit of the republic."

He shook his head and slipped on his own shirt. He'd wished he could wash the dirt off his body before he did, but quite obviously, that wasn't going to happen. "The republic died the moment the nukes hit Philly and Georgia. Just let it die, Charlotte."

She glanced up at him from her perch on his bed and saw the pain and sorrow etched across his face. She couldn't quite understand it. Did he feel bad for everything, or was he just playing her? She opened her mouth to retort when the trailer door burst open and three men flooded into the space.

* * *

The men had been tracking Charlie Matheson since leaving the small town of Willoughby, Texas in search of Sebastian Monroe. The three battle hardened bounty hunters were after Monroe as part of a bounty set by the 'Patriots'; some new up-and-coming government entity trying to embody the original U.S. Government. His head, alone, was worth six ounces of diamonds, and that was a payoff no one could pass up.

They had originally gone into town to get supplies and information on the bounty. They had warrants on Sebastian Monroe and Rachael Matheson and wanted to know how _alive_ they had to be in order to get their rewards. They discovered Rachael Matheson within the confines of the city, and the Patriots instructed them to focus their attention on Monroe and to avoid spreading any information while they were still in Willoughby.

When they saw Rachael Matheson and a small contingency of individuals, they scaled the building walls in an effort to eavesdrop.

Miles, currently under the guise of Stu Redman, was arguing with a young blonde, "Charlie, it's pointless. It's a suicide mission. I know Bass. You can't beat him, and going on a suicide mission won't prove a damn thing!"

Charlie all but stomped her foot into the dusty ground beneath her, "I don't care! I'm going. What's here? I'm not a child, and I'm not sitting here with my hands under my ass while you scrounge up a plan. I have a plan! My plan!"

Rachael Matheson gasped at her daughter; who was a spitting image of everything that could be claimed by the Matheson name, "Charlie! Mouth!"

Charlie glanced sideways at the woman who gave birth to her, but ignored her otherwise, "Stu, I'm going, and there's not a damn thing any of you can do about it."

Miles shook his head and sighed in defeat, "Fine, kid. Get yourself killed if that's what you want. We'll be here organizing against the Patriots until you change your mind or come back in a box!"

Charlie grinned with smug satisfaction. That was as close as to agreement her uncle would ever give her. Rachael, on the other hand, was not as accommodating. "Charlie, you're not going."

Charlie snorted and adjusted her pack hanging from her shoulder, "You…have no say in what I do. Mother or not, don't pretend you aren't as high up on my list as Monroe."

Her mother sniffed back a tear, "Charlie…Please."

The words fell on deaf ears, as her only daughter – and now her only child – turned her back strutting to the end of town, following up on rumor that Monroe was somewhere skirting Texas and the Wastelands.

The three men nodded at each other and began their somewhat distanced trail of the obnoxiously determined woman. They'd heard rumors of her skills in tracking and should prove to be much less work for them in the long run.

* * *

The sudden intrusion, noise and yelling sent Sebastian into a frenzy, and he threw open one of his dresser drawers, throwing pants and undergarments around, "Where…Charlotte, where's my gun?!"

Charlie took only one second to hesitate before springing off the bed and sprinting at the closest intruder in the trailer, utterly ignoring Sebastian's cry for a weapon. She remembered seeing the group both in the previous two towns and could have punched herself in the face for not noticing. All three of the towns were on the same general stretch of road, but to see them in the second town so soon after the first should have been an indicator. She knew better, and yet, she was continuously getting herself into such stupid situations. Miles was right to have told her not to go.

Sebastian grunted and abandoned his dresser in favor of a hard punch to one of his would-be assailants. The trailer was far too small for five people to have a fucking battle to death – and yet here they all were, screaming and punching. The men were armed well enough and yet they couldn't get a round off, or unsheathe their swords because of how cramped it was.

He knocked the eldest of the men to the floor and tried to reach into a small cabinet above the sink when Charlotte stopped him, "It's not there! None of them are. I found them all!" She screamed.

He was furious. He'd fucking kill her if either of them survived. Who would have thought the niece of the infamous Miles Matheson would make such a stupid ass decision as to remove all the weapons from any given area, leaving themselves' fucking defenseless. She was damn well old enough to know better!

Two of the men advanced on Monroe; him being the primary target, while the third forced Charlie onto her back on the weak dining table, his strong hands circling her throat. She'd served her purpose.

Watching on helplessly, Sebastian could do nothing to help the girl as he was pounded into the floor of the trailer while one struggled to tie his hands behind his back with a thick rope. One that was unsuited for the current task, he thought smartly.

The two men lugged him up. He noticed one was older, with long unkempt gray hair and an eye patch. The second, a young man, around his own age. They stood, clustered in the tiny living quarters while the third continued his assault on Charlie.

The younger of Sebastian's captives spoke first, "Jack, we said we wouldn't kill her. We just needed her to track Monroe!"

Jack, as the un-identified man called him, grunted, forcibly pinning Charlie with his heavy, sweaty body. "She punched me in the face. Now, I'm going to show her what a woman's job is really for, and then I'm gonna kill her. Don't care if you watch."

Charlie had had enough. Her windpipe was crushing underneath the man's burly, sweaty hands and she felt as if she were about to black out. She made a quick decision, and released her grip on his hands, in the fruitless attempt to keep as much air in her lungs as possible. His hands tightened dramatically. She lifted both hands above her head and snaked out the chopstick still tangled in her hair. The very same chopstick she was ordered to use to kill a family man who let a poppy field on fire. It was never used until now.

She yanked her hands outward, separating the sheath of the tiny pen blade from the base and just as quickly stabbed the sharp tip straight into the man's neck, burying the whole six inch blade before pulling it back out again, three or four times in succession. It might not have been a thick or particularly useful weapon, but cutting into a neck with just near anything was a good way to kill someone.

Jack stumbled back; hands trying to cover the holes that were squirting blood all over the trailer walls; a few spurts hitting Charlie across the face. He hit the floor in a thud, the blood of pool flowing thick into the well-used carpet. Charlie lay on the table, stunned and gasping for air. She still held each half of the chopstick.

The older man to one side of Monroe started yelling in some unacknowledged language to his younger counter part and while Monroe stared at the girl, they yanked him over the body, passed her temporarily paralyzed form and out the door. They'd lost a friend, but a dead friend won't get their bounty.

* * *

Everything was black for a few moments. Charlie was conscious, but her eyes refused to adjust or take in any light. Her lungs and throat burned with every breath she took in. She heard stomping and a door shut, but no noise after that. For a moment she thought she was dead.

She coughed, and after she squeezed her eyes tight to moisten them, everything flooded back into her head as she stared down at the dead bounty hunter, blood still slowly oozing from his neck.

Glancing up, she realized that not only were the other two bounty hunters gone, so was Monroe. She cursed loudly, hoping they hadn't had too much of a head start. She wasn't sure at all how much time she'd lost partially blacked out on the table.

"Son of a _**bitch**_!"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you Judith74 and ShortySC22 for your wonderful comments – and all the people who followed but didn't comment ;)

This chapter will also somewhat mimic the episodes in season two, with my added details – but it won't be much longer before I totally swing off in another direction after I do the bar scene and the scene they decide to travel together – with some changes obviously and then I'll veer off. I've seen all the episodes up to S2E9, and I didn't like the way it was going so after this particular scene redo I'm changing the whole direction of what all happens starting from the two's journey.

I like slow developing stories because it gives the chance to impart more emotion – so just bear with me. I love long detailed chapters and long stories.

So, read on, read on. This chapter will be particularly long because I want to finish up the mostly pre-set scenes I used from the show (while changing a few major details obviously) and wanted to get into something else to keep you interested. Let me know what you think.

Also – I own nothing – blah, blah, blah, blah.

Chapter 3

Charlie weighed her options as she burst through the trailer door and sprinted a couple trailers over to grab her hidden pack. She wasn't sure what to do. Save Monroe so she could kill him, or let the bounty hunters take him to whatever fate he had coming.

Kicking off her boots she yanked her jeans up her legs and over her bikini bottom. She had no time to strip and change. The bounty hunters were expanding their distance every minute; more so if horses were involved. She shoved her bare feet back into her boots, fastened two of the buckles to secure them in place, and spun on her heel to start her pursuit.

* * *

Sebastian grunted in pain as he was hauled into the back of an old delivery truck of some sort. It was moderately dilapidated, the back doors being replaced with partially rotted wood and a latch lock. His captors had fashioned it to a horse carriage, and in turn, two large Mustang horses.

He rolled over, leaned himself against a wheel well and eyed the two men. "You know she's going to follow you."

"She might." The young one started; the old man screaming in his native language.

"No. She _will_."

"Why would she? You're going to die either way."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. The old man had gone off to the front to load into the horse wagon for departure, still yelling and adjusting his eye patch.

"Both…," Sebastian trailed; mentally searching for the right words to use, "of you want my head, for whatever reason. The question is which of you wants it _**most **_and what you're willing to do to get it."

The man shook his head and shut the back of the truck. They were losing time, and should the Matheson girl decide to go after them in order to kill Monroe, they had no extra time to pussyfoot around with a crazed ex-general's asinine generalizations.

Sebastian sighed and glanced around the makeshift prison. The idiots had stowed all their supplies in the very spot he was held captive. There was food, a bit of firewood, a large military grade gun box that was firmly shut, and a box with various bits junk and paper in it. He knew if the gun box held actual weapons, they would be of immense use, but he had no the time nor inkling to cause that much noise so close to New Vegas.

He tugged his wrists apart to test the hold of the rope he was bound with. It was much too thick for its current use. It held somewhat firmly, but wasn't especially tight. Tucking his thumb as far into his palm as possible, he pushed one arm down and pulled the other up in the effort to create a gap. The hand he was yanking downward pulled free from one hoop, then another, and then a third. He exhaled a small breath, inhaled a large one and with one final yank, the binds gave way.

Chuckling to himself, he took no time with forcing open the flimsy truck door, jumping a measly three feet to the ground and landing in a full sprint.

* * *

Charlie had been right when she figured they didn't have much time to spread distance from the campsite. The sun had slowly begun to rise, and she spotted their truck about two hours into her chase. She preferred to get Monroe without killing the bounty hunters but she had no actual plan to accomplish that. She figured why not try asking nicely.

She sauntered out of the tree line and into the path of the horses. Facing them, she had a right hand on the corresponding hip, head cocked to the side and that ever present eyebrow cocked as high as it could go. "Where you two boys headed?"

The crazed old man stopped the horses about fifty feet from her, yelling between her and his younger counter part. The young one just held up his hand to silence the man; he didn't have a damn clue what he was saying anyway.

He smiled toward Charlie and spoke loud enough for her to hear him clearly, "Turn back to New Vegas and none of us have to worry about hurting each other."

Charlie chucked. "I think you turning Monroe over to me so I don't have to kill you would be a much better decision."

"And if we don't?"

"Monroe will more than likely escape, and slit your throats if you try and stop him. Save yourself the trouble." She shifted her hand from her hip and clasped them behind her back, puffing her chest slightly and moved to stand on the balls her feet slightly; as if to seem innocent.

The fellow sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. He was a fairly attractive guy, Charlie thought to herself. If only he wasn't standing in the way of her personal vendetta. She saw him open his mouth to speak but noticed Monroe jumping out of the back of their mobile prison cell and brought her finger to her pink lips in a simple 'shush' motion. She grinned and pointed off toward the start of the tree line and both the young and old men glanced over just in time to see Sebastian Monroe making his Great Escape and Charlie bolting off in the same direction.

* * *

Sebastian saw Charlotte out of the corner of his eye. He noticed she still had his shirt on. For some reason, even with all the drama of his current situation, he thought it was rather sexy how it engulfed her toned frame.

What he didn't see, however, was the low hanging branch in his running path.

He landed on his back. Hard.

One suck of air was all he had time to do before the three people chasing him caught up, and an absolute clusterfuck of colliding bodies ensued.

The old man descended upon him as quickly as he could, and Sebastian started resisting. With the open space and the sun poking into the trees, he had the upper advantage. He could feel tunnel vision kicking in as he started fighting back.

The younger of the bounty hunters made his attempt to aid his partner but was cut short when Charlie screamed to snap his attention to her before bull tackling him to the ground. The whole situation was ironic and stupid. She was on a mission to stop the screaming in her head by tracking down the man she believed to be the source of it – and yet here she was – trying to save him from bounty hunters, serving some greater purpose of their employers.

The fairly good looking man threw her off his body just as quickly as she'd climbed on top of it. He used his natural brute strength as an advantage in his fights and this one was no exception. He couldn't let her stop them.

Next to them, Sebastian was making short work of the older fool. He felt a teeny tiny bit bad about it. Well…He really didn't feel bad about it at all, but it was quite annoyed at how simple it was. He pinned the old man against a tree, blocking him from pulling a sword with his foot, and snapped his neck.

He quickly spun around on a visual search for Charlotte and saw the remaining bounty hunter on top of her; not so much trying to cause physical harm, but more so to keep her from stopping his partner from apprehending him.

'_Because, you know…He did such a fantastic job,' _flashed into Sebastian's head.

The thought was gone just as quickly as it has come when anger flooded his senses. That _**boy**_ was straddling her body the same way he had been, not a few hours previous. He'd refuse to admit to himself how right it had felt when he was hovering over her, his knees pressing into the sides of her thighs. He couldn't have some overgrown man ape of a bounty hunter doing the same. It was an affront to the girls honor. Yeah…that sounded good. He would go with that.

He glanced over and saw a stray tree branch on the ground, roughly three inches thick by about four feet long. He grabbed it and advanced.

Charlie saw Monroe coming before the bounty hunter did. He was trying to reason with her, while she moved her hands and body to try and buck him off. She locked eyes with one of the people she hated the most, and as if she were reading his mind, bucked the man's large body off just far enough to bend in both knees into her chest and plant the bottom of her feet into his torso and shove up with all her strength.

It was perfect. The way they mentally communicated. Charlie kicked her assailant into a standing position and Sebastian knocked him into home with one good baseball swing of the branch. He wasn't sure he'd actually killed him, but he really didn't care. Staring down at the body of the last bounty hunter gave Sebastian a very nice sense of satisfaction. Be damned if he acknowledged why.

Charlie was up and stalking off toward the truck before Sebastian really noticed she was gone. She knew he would follow her; he thought he was invincible and his curiosity would tug at his brain. She was right.

She was digging through the supplies housed in the truck when he walked up behind her. She was throwing anything she didn't find interesting onto the ground behind her. Even a tactical shot gun. Who would throw that away? She really was a product of the post blackout generation.

He picked it up and cocked it, wondering if it would scare her. She had stared down the barrel of his own gun on an occasion or two, so he doubted it would. He stepped closer to her to peer over her shoulder, using the shoulder strap of the shot gun to lace around his shoulder for later.

She didn't take her eyes out of the boxes and totes in front of her when she spoke, "Back up before I back you up."

Sebastian ignored her. "What are you looking for?"

Charlie rolled her eyes and mentally he wish he'd back up from her personal bubble. She could almost feel him breathing. She kept searching through the junk for a few minutes before she huffed in triumph and held up a stack of papers. She just knew had to be some reason those head hunters were so damn determined. Sebastian reached over and snatched them from her when he saw his name printed across the top of the first sheet.

"Give those back!"

He read through the paper quickly, handed the top one back only and read the second one. It continued on like that for five sheets of paper. The warrants were for Rachael Matheson, Aaron Pittman, Miles Matheson, Nora Clayton (who he knew to be dead) and himself. Each bounty was set at six ounces of diamonds per head. He looked up from the dirt road to his friend's niece.

Charlie spoke first, "What does this mean? What crimes against the Patriots?"

Sebastian shook his head in disbelief, "Look at the triangle in the corner. Randall Flynn had that same symbol on a ring when he pushed the button to drop the nukes. They must be trying to pin it on me and probably Miles or your mom."

Charlie sighed. She would have to go back to Willoughby. She had to help Miles. Help him against the Patriots if they were really trying to pin war crimes against him. She glanced at her Monroe Militia mark and back up at Monroe. He would have to wait.

Sebastian grabbed the hollow of her elbow before she had a chance to spin on her heels to disappear into the woods, "Is your mom with Miles? Knowing her, I don't doubt it."

The look she gave him told him she didn't rightly give a damn where her mom was, even though that's exactly where Rachael Matheson was. He gave no acknowledgement to her expression and continued talking, "You have to go back and help. Help Miles and your mom…and I'm…going with you."

That caught her attention. That damn eyebrow shot up almost to her hairline, "Excuse me?"

"They need my help, Charlotte. You need my help."

She snatched her arm back from his soft grasp. "What makes you think anyone wants your help?"

"They don't. But, you'll need it."

Charlie snorted, "You're pathetic. I'm walking away now and when I'm gone, you won't be able to track me. If you want to stop me…Shoot me." It was then she spun on her heels and walked down the dirt path, her hips swaying in confidence. Her pack was hidden a few yards out and she'd need to retrieve it before starting her journey back to the small Texas town she'd left in the dust.

Sebastian stared after her. It was almost as if she'd just initiated a game of cat and mouse. Something he was very good at playing. He wasn't known for letting people have the last word and couldn't stop himself from calling out, "Can I have my shirt back?!"

The hand gesture she shot at him, without bothering to turn back to do it, shocked him. A little grin tugged at his lips as he mused to the horses standing beside him, "I wonder if she knows what that means…"

* * *

Two days.

Charlie had been traveling for two days with no food and very little water. The tavern she stopped at in Pottsboro somewhere in North Texas wasn't a first choice stop but she couldn't go much longer without eating.

She found a small cave prior to going into the filthy little bar a mile or so up the road, and she'd stashed her pack there for later. She could easily hunt something to eat, but her body was too sore and drained to try.

She ate fast enough to make her stomach cramp in protest, but the faster she was finished, the quicker she could be on her way. She took a sip from the whiskey.

"How about I buy you another?"

She glanced over after swallowing the last bit of food from her bowl, "I got somewhere I gotta be."

When she stood up, her head felt a little fuzzy, but she chalked that up to eating too quickly, and went to the door. It was locked with a rusted pad lock. Mentally, all she could think was, '_Fuck. Drugged and gang raped. Totally a great way to die.'_

She turned back towards the inside of the bar when the dirty, smelly little man spoke to her again, "Don't have to be so rude about it."

"You should let me go."

"And why is that?"

When the first of the group of men tried to grab her, she twisted his hand enough to break his wrist but was shoved back, her elbow breaking a window. She pulled forward, her leather jacket preventing any cuts from the broken glass, and lunged to the first thing she could see, a pool cue, before whirling around to hit the closest person she could.

She managed to knee a second before her vision shut down for a quick second. She stumbled back.

"Looks like someone can't hold their liquor." They all laughed.

"What did you give me?" She stumbled back again, hitting a couple of chairs.

The men ignored her, and took a step forward. Her stomach dropped further than her body did when she lost her vision again and fell to the floor. Was this really how she was going to die? Not in some ridiculous rescue mission in a blaze of glory? Well, at least she would be passed out for most of it.

The padlocked door suddenly crashed in, a panel falling off the hinges.

She was horrified at the relief she felt when she saw that it was Monroe. Regardless of the fact that she'd previously tried to kill him, she knew he was there, a sword in each hand, to save her. The drugs were taking further effect and her vision was so blurry, all she could see were figures moving around knocking into things.

Sebastian had rage etched into his face. Being drugged and raped was not an acceptable fate for anyone; least of all Charlotte. Stupid decisions she sure did make, and on regular intervals no less, but she had a purer heart then anyone he'd ever known. Maybe even purer than Emma or Shelly.

He burst into the bar, swords swinging. He wanted to see nothing more than the floor flood with blood from every one of them.

After stabbing the last of the men, he locked eyes with Charlie as he yanked his sword from the dead body under it. She tried fruitlessly to lift herself from the floor, and promptly passed out. He sighed. _Stupid._

* * *

Charlie came around slowly. Her vision was blurry and her head was pounding. She wasn't sure where she was at, but she was fairly certain she should have been dead.

A canteen landed at her side. She panicked and tried to sit up.

"Take it easy. Take it easy! Drink that. You have to flush the drugs from your system."

She blinked and Monroe came into focus. She glanced between him and the canteen before using shaky hands to lift the water to her lips.

They were in the cave she'd stashed her stuff. "How did you find me?"

He was cooking, but it looked particularly inedible. "You're not as hard to find as you think. It also tends to be much easier to find people who insist on trying to get themselves killed every other day."

She sighed and took another sip from the canteen.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Consider it a show of faith." He stopped for a moment before continuing, "I don't know how to make up for what I've done, but I have to try. I need to try. I need help to do that. You're help."

His eyes were brimmed with tears, and as much as she'd love to mock and insult him, she felt that she couldn't. Her stomach clenched at the thought of this monster crying for her help. He'd saved her twice. She'd help, if for nothing than to square her debt for saving her life. However, she couldn't help from at least being stubborn about it. "What if I told you to go to hell?"

He smirked and stuck the tip of the knife he'd been using to stir their food in his mouth carefully, and pulled it slowly from his lips before speaking, "What makes you think you have a choice?"

* * *

The few nights of their journey went by particularly uneventful. The two only spoke to each other when absolutely necessary and stayed to the opposite areas of their campsites. Charlie would have slept where he couldn't see her but he had thrown a tantrum about them staying in each other's site at all times.

It wasn't until the fourth night of travelling in the mix of uncomfortable stretches of silence and random sarcastic or perverted remarks did their boundaries with each other get tested.

The sun has just broken the horizon for the day when Charlie opened her eyes and stretched. They were in another cave and her back wasn't playing nice that morning. Sebastian was already up with his things packed and was working on putting out the fire.

He glanced up at her. "Charlotte, it's time to go. We have at least seven or eight days of travel left. We need to pick up the pace."

She snorted and reached over to her bag while she spoke, voice a little horse, "I'm going to wash off in the small creek up ahead first."

He shook his head stubbornly. "You can do it in the next city; it's only a few hours walk from here."

"Monroe, neither one of us has had any time to bathe properly in the three days we've been moving. With no horses, mind you. I can't imagine you can't smell yourself!"

He smirked. "So was that an invitation?"

Charlie groaned. She was past the point of no return, "_Please_! I just want to be clean!"

Her eyebrows furrowed in agitation when he laughed at her. "There's a legitimate city up ahead. Just trust me that you'd rather wait for town then do it now. You can even spring for hot water."

If he wasn't standing in front of her she would have moaned. Hot water. A pricey and rare commodity in the post blackout communities. The only places that went through the effort of hot water were the fancier hotels that employed actual service women to clean the rooms and prepare the hot water when requested; not prostitutes. The hotels that had managed to survive and remain dignified and classy.

She sighed and nodded, "Fine. I'll wait. For future reference, this isn't you winning. It's me picking my battles for luxuries. You're paying by the way."

She smirked and glided past him, her bag around one shoulder. Sebastian sneered after her in a sarcastic and playful way. She spoke to him like she was Miles himself. Miles as a girl. Miles with long hair and a pair of breasts.

He laughed all of a sudden.

* * *

Because Texas was often seen as the "Big Kahuna" among the militias, with multiple military bases and a heavily armed and trained police forces throughout, it was easy to understand how a lot of the big cities stayed relatively intact. Charlie typically avoided any and all big cities regardless of where she was because of the danger, so walking into the Northern half of Dallas was quite interesting.

She glanced over at Sebastian, who always insisted to be damn near shoulder to shoulder with her, and noticed the somber look on his face. It was evident he missed big city life. Assuming they didn't manage to get a hold of some horses, their trek would likely take another week and some change. She hoped he didn't try to stay longer than necessary. Too big a city for too paranoid a girl, she couldn't help but think.

It was around noon when they got to the center of the city. They had decided to stay out and about for another few hours, Charlie reluctantly putting off her bath even longer. Anyone from Texas could tell you, especially post blackout, that there was no point in bathing so early in the day because they'd end up just as sweaty and dirty as before. Heat and dust below the equator didn't care how clean you were.

The area was alive with activity. Shops and outside stalls were packed with people and venders, all trying to buy or sale various knickknacks, food, supplies or clothes. Both Charlie and Sebastian had reserved enough diamonds to have a go at a few of the stands.

Charlie caught sight of a charming little road stand with soaps, combs, lotions and makeup. One wouldn't think she was a princess type, but she loved a good quality lotion or soap. She caught her companion's attention with a soft tug at his pocket, "Monroe, I'm going to go look at some supplies for the rest of our trip. Can we just meet back somewhere later?"

Sebastian opened his mouth to launch a protest when she lifted up her hand, "I'm not going to take off. I don't like being in such a large area, I don't intend to be off on my own for very long. Back here in three hours?"

He thought three hours was a little excessive but he saw her glance back at the table full of what he liked to coin as 'frilly things'. She wanted to be girlie without him knowing.

_Well now_, he thought, _that's rather cute._

He could just imagine what kind of scented soap she liked to use. Cherry or vanilla maybe. Better yet, something exotic like mango. Georgia had been trading with the European countries for quite some time; there was a good possibility for some interesting fruits and vegetables to make their way back South. Especially in an area as affluent as Texas.

Sebastian felt something twitch inside his pants, and his eyes snapped back to hers. No need to get excited in public. She may very decide to pick the plainest thing she could find just for the sake of cleanliness. He couldn't quite tell her personality other than she was a headstrong, obnoxious loudmouth who like to hide everything. Including his canteen, metal cup and fire starting flint. He'd found the latter one sticking out of her boot with the excuse that a squirrel must have put it there.

He smirked at her and nodded. She saw the little mischievous twinkle in his eye as he spoke, "Fine. Go do whatever it is you women need to do, on two conditions. One, try not to get yourself killed and two, make sure you get me something too."

She blew a puff of air out in frustration and spun off. He'd seen her glancing at the table. So much for secrecy.

* * *

A/N: Okay! That's a bit of an odd place for a 'cliff hanger' but the chapter was getting too long and I wanted to go ahead and post something. Call it a Christmas present. Next chapter may have a little steaminess in it, so stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the reviews RevolutionFan, ShortySC22 and the random guest of the day! I do greatly appreciate them.

Not much in this author's note – the only things I want to say are that (a.) Willoughby, Texas is a fictitious town – so I have no idea how far or how long it would take to get there from Dallas – so I'm 100% making all of it up. I do know it takes 39 hours to walk from San Antonio to Austin, center to center so I'm sort of trying to use that as a comparison. And (b.) I'm changing their ages a little bit because frankly – they don't all look that old. Miles has a bit of gray hair but I know people who have gray hair in their 20's or went bald in H.S. It is an A/U after all. ;)

I also apparently forgot to label chapter two, haha. My bad, guys.

This chapter has…quite honestly squat to do with the plot, I just wanted to put a little fluffiness in it. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

The agreed upon three hours came and went, and Sebastian was left waiting at the agreed post. Charlie wasn't at any of the immediate vender stands, and a quick leap to conclusion was that she wasn't at any of the shops either.

She really wasn't all that late but Sebastian couldn't help but think she'd taken off. Truth be told, it kind of hurt his feelings. They didn't really talk on their daily walks but he kind of thought he was making a bit of an impression on her. She had grown on him with her occasionally silly antics and tantrums.

He sighed. He really wished he didn't have to start tracking her again. If he did, he'd handcuff them together.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and whirled around expecting to be attacked. It was Charlie with a sugar stick in between her lips.

She sucked back some spit, "I got distracted."

He cocked an eyebrow, "By candy?"

They started walking at a slow pace towards their hotel destination. It was only a few blocks walk from where they were. He was hungry, tired and sweaty.

Charlie sucked back more spit, continuing to talk around the stick of sugar in her mouth, "The lady was talking my ear off about how hard it was to make all the stuff she was selling. It's not as if we have to organize our time for _anything_ else."

Sebastian chuckled as they turned a corner. This was the longest conversation they'd ever had that didn't involve guns and murder. "Maybe she thought you'd appreciate all the hard work she put into it?"

She snorted while digging her pocket, "Bitch acted like nobody wanted to buy any of it. Here."

He glanced down to see her open palm extended to him. There was a second sugar stick wrapped in a bit of parchment paper. She had bought some for him?

"Take it. Or, do you not have a sweet tooth?" She asked cautiously. She really didn't know why she bought him the candy, but she figured he might enjoy it.

His hand numbly settled on top of hers to grasp the candy while she kept speaking, "I wasn't sure what flavor you'd like so, I just kind of guessed."

Silently, he unwrapped the candy and stuffed the bit of wax paper into his pocket. It was a slight pinkish red color. He was almost hesitant to try it but Charlie interrupted his thought process. She was obnoxiously talkative.

"It's cherry. I just grabbed a couple and didn't ask what they were. I didn't like the flavor."

He glanced at her. "How do you know it was cherry then?"

She sucked back some spit and her eyes looked skyward, somewhat innocently. "I licked it to see what it tasted like."

Sebastian started laughing at her. She'd licked the very piece of candy she gave him. He winked at her before placing half of the candy in his mouth and pulling it back out suggestively. She rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for the candy, Charlotte."

For some reason the way he'd said her name that time made her stomach tighten in excitement. That weird, tingly way she remembered feeling kissing Jason. And Monroe wasn't even touching her.

She caught site of the hotel, "Oh! Look! There it is!"

She couldn't sprint off fast enough. Sebastian stared after her with a twinkle in his eye and his piece of candy stuck firmly between his teeth.

* * *

Horror. That was the look Charlie gave the woman at the hotel desk when she'd said there was only one room left. There was no comfort in the fact that it had two beds.

Charlie sputtered, "What did you say?"

The woman at the counter sort of just…stared at her, "It's the only room left."

"Out of this _entire_ building?"

The woman just kept staring at her, "We're trying to maintain the _status quo _so some of the rooms are unavailable for use while we maintain them. It's one of our nicer rooms and I can give it to you for a little less for the inconvenience."

Charlie wanted hot water, alone, in her own room. Not all of that and Sebastian Monroe in the bed next to her. That was the way he wanted it originally but she downright refused. She just wanted a little bit of damn privacy for once.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and handed some diamonds over to the woman. She was so confused. She watched him take the key and usher Charlie forward by her pack. The hotel was originally built in the early 1900's and because of the fixtures and way it was built, it was a true survivor of the blackout.

* * *

The room was large but surprisingly quaint. The afternoon was on the edge of evening and the service girls had already brought up dinner.

Neither of them spoke as they dug into the food with reckless abandon. Something other than game meat was a luxury.

Sebastian couldn't think of any other comparison than a starving football team.

He finished eating a bit before she did and got up to grab his pack. The woman at the desk had told him the other employees would arrange for two bathes to be drawn and heated. A few of the rooms had been outfitted with a second tub for convince. The richer clientele didn't like sharing bathwater with each other.

He dumped his bag over onto one of the beds and started rummaging through it. Charlie could sense his frustration as he continued to turn things over and go through this or that.

"Are you out of soap?"

Sebastian huffed, "Among other things. Don't suppose you have any you'd let me use? Maybe even something that wouldn't make me smell like a girl?"

Charlie laughed and wiped her mouth before getting up and going to her own bag. She turned it over and emptied its contents over the remaining bed. The contents between the bags were night and day.

"It so happens," She grabbed a small metal tin, opened the lid and stuck out her hand. "I was buying supplies for our trip like I said. These are all yours."

She'd bought him more stuff? He wasn't exactly sure if it was kindness or necessity. He was pretty sure he smelled like a sty. There were a couple of things in there other than the soap which made him wonder if she really had put thought into getting him something.

He smiled at her, his eyes speaking volumes.

Charlie felt like fidgeting under his gaze but couldn't help but smile back a little shyly, her cheeks tinging a little red.

Sebastian winked at her blushing face before starting toward the bathroom.

"Monroe…" she called softly as he had a hand on the doorknob. He glanced at her and she continued. "There were a few different scents, so I tried to pick something you might…like."

He opened the door and walked through to the bathroom. Before he shut it, he stuck his head out and startled her, "Well, you guessed well enough that I like cherry, let's see how good you are in other areas."

The door clicked shut.

Charlie sighed so big, her lungs stung a bit, "_Shit._"

* * *

The both of them were in and out of their respective baths relatively quickly. Charlie had taken some extra time since it had been such a long time since she'd gotten steamy hot water and luxurious soap and other frilly things to use.

After drying off she fresh braided her hair and got into the clothes she preferred to sleep in when not trekking and camping outside; a cute pair of black cotton shorts and an oversized flannel. She rolled she sleeves up to her elbow and buttoned the middle three buttons. She gathered her thinks as if nothing were amiss and left the bathroom.

* * *

Sebastian wasn't in the room,Charlie noticed. She packed her things back into her bag neatly and set the pack on the floor and turned to the second bed, still littered with junk.

_Men_, she mused while rolling her eyes. She doubted he had anything in the pile that was some sort of government secret, so she started packing things up for him. Folding clothes, sheathing knives and boxing up bullets.

She stopped when her fingers enclosed around a cute wooden box. Curiosity was getting to the better of her. She knew she shouldn't snoop through Sebastian Monroe's belongings but she couldn't help herself. Everything else in her bag was plainly obvious; this was the only secret one.

Glancing around the room quickly, she turned back to the box and separated the lid from the bottom. Inside were photos. A few were somewhat damaged but most were in pretty good condition overall.

She delicately took the photos into her hand and set the empty box back onto the bed. One by one she went through them and somehow Sebastian Monroe's life; his past and what was left of his sanity; came into view.

* * *

Sebastian had walked out onto the hotel's balcony to get some air as the sun was setting. To breathe and to take in how normal things felt. Even if he was travelling with someone he was sure who hated him, despite the nice things they'd been doing for each other as of late.

The soap and other items she'd gotten him had turned out to spell pretty nice. He figured her 'guessing' was more of just picking out things she liked and hoping he wouldn't notice. He smiled. He smelled like sage, sweetgrass and cedar.

He saw her moving around the room out of the corner of his eye and decided he'd go back in. It was obvious she hadn't heard him open or shut the delicate balcony door; her back was facing him and she was his bed. Being an easy six inches taller than her, he could see that she had been snooping and was looking through his pictures.

* * *

Charlie didn't hear anyone come in, or come up behind her. No. She _smelled_ who staring holes into the back of her head. She had stopped on an old picture. Fifteen years old to be exact. It was taken a few days before the blackout. She lost herself in it with utter disbelief that he'd kept it.

The moment she smelled _him_ behind her, she gasped and spun around. The look on his face was a bit blank.

She sputtered, "I…Uh…I was cleaning and…"

Sebastian gently pulled the photos from her hand and shook his head, "Remember when we took this one?" Referring to the one she had stared at.

She noticed he didn't have a shirt and his flannel pants were riding dangerously low on his hips. She gulped and muttered, "I was climbing in a tree while Miles was flirting with that girl from down the street and I slipped and fell. You saved me."

He smiled and stepped in closer to her, tossing the photos onto the bed behind her. _Good God she smells amazing_, He suddenly thought. The damn girl smelled like apples and vanilla. His body twitched. He didn't think he could ever eat an apple again.

She was still talking. What did she say? "What was the last part?"

Charlie stuttered and looked up from her visual travel downward, "Oh, I'm sorry. I…the cut had scarred."

He remembered. When the ten year old version of the woman in front of him had fallen from the tree, she'd hit a stray branch and it gouged a cut into her thigh a few inches long. Glancing down, he saw what she meant. Fifteen years had lightened it but it was still visible enough. He saw the tattoo on her thigh he'd seen not too long ago next to it. It was a pocket watch next to an open locket, the chains intertwining together and running up her thigh, disappearing under the hem of her oversized shirt. He couldn't quite tell if she had anything else on underneath. He thanked God his pants were loose…

"I sure don't remember that being next to the scar though."

Charlie was biting her lip when she met his eyes. "It means to lock up time…before it's all gone. A friend at the Georgia docks did tattoos with something he'd modified to work since you know…no power…"

He nodded, accepting the answer. He figured she'd tell him why it was there in the first place, like all the others she had, when she was ready. Especially the insignia on her shoulder.

She felt compelled to move in a smidge closer to him. It was some unsung agreement between the two. Their truce, feelings both good and bad and their waning physical resistance to each other.

Sebastian wasn't sure if he should be letting any of this happen. Charlie was Miles' niece. But with her in front of him dressed in almost nothing, he just couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to taste her lips.

"Charlotte…"

"Yes, Sebastian?"

Oh hell. She'd said his name. It was soft and oh so inviting. Did she know she was killing him?

Well, if he was going to die, he was going to die happy. Sebastian hovered his lips over hers, barely touching them together. It was so chaste it kind of disgusted him. He was never shy when it came to women.

Charlie was reeling. She wanted to push him back, slap him, _anything_. She thought she was supposed to hate him. Hate him for the things that happened to Danny or her dad. Hell, even her mom. She didn't deepen or participate in the kiss but she didn't stop it either.

When he pulled back from her, Sebastian sensed turmoil in Charlie's head. He was quite positive he knew why. He sighed and put a bit more distance between their bodies, "No matter how good someone's intentions might be, someone invariably dies because of them."

Charlie smiled at him. Really smiled. She closed the gap between them a second time, but only for a simple hug and a soft kiss on the cheek. She whispered into his ear, "Goodnight, Sebastian."

Sebastian smiled back as she moved around him to snuggle into her bed for the night. He went around the room and blew out all the oil lamps and candles. On the final one he whispered in the darkness, "Thank you, Charlotte."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for the review guys! Always appreciate them. Sorry it's taken so long to update – I have a long standing holiday tradition of holing up like a hermit, so yeah. Lol. On ward!

Oh, and I'm glad I waited to write this chapter because I just saw the new episode and nope. This chapter on out, don't expect any familiar scenes. I miiiiight introduce Monroe's son, but because I changed the ages he won't be remotely near the same as how I have them. So, forewarned.

Also, mucho mucho smuttiness ahead.

Chapter 5

The next few days passed in acceptable silence as the two continued their journey south to reunite with Miles and the others. After their encounter at the hotel in Dallas, the two had a comfortable air around them. They continued to keep their distance as usual though. Sleeping on opposite ends of their campfire, taking turns washing in creeks and Charlie walking a few paces in front of Sebastian.

The last one he didn't mind so much. The view was damn good.

He couldn't help but want to kiss her again, though. He sighed in utter annoyance.

Sebastian Monroe was no stranger to mental confliction, but the musings he normally considered his thoughts were just a mash up of sex, confusion and guilt at the moment. That weak, virgin-like kiss had left him wanting more but could he really advance on her like that? The niece of his friend? The very women who he'd tried to kill on many occasions as she had tried with him?

He was about to stab himself in the eye. He really was.

"Sebastian!"

Sebastian had been so lost in thought he had been utterly ignoring his travel companion until he'd walked right into her after she had stopped to look at a map.

He loved it when she said his name. Even when she was yelling at him in disapproval. The phrase "_Glutton for punishment, much?"_ flashed into his brain.

"Sebaaaaassstian!"

"What?!"

"If you run into me one more time, I'm going to make you be the map boy."

He grunted at her and snatched the map from her hands, "I'll tell you what you can do with this stupid thing."

Charlie pouted. She was never one for child-like behavior but around him it came easily. She snatched it back and folded it up gently. "I had to barter for this _stupid thing_ so we weren't running around in circles."

He rolled his eyes, "As if we need the damn thing."

The moment she opened her mouth to retort two things happened. The first was the sky opening up and dropping the proverbial swimming pool of water onto the ground in the form of heavy rain and the second was a dagger whizzing through the air in their direction. Charlie shoved Sebastian out of the way and it struck her arm as it flew passed.

Charlie cursed in pain and spun to find the direction of the assault. From the mix of rain and sudden clouded darkness she saw what looked like a _hoard_ of people coming towards her. Fighting didn't seem like a viable option, but what the hell else would she do?

"Charlotte!"

She forgot she was with Sebastian for a good second. He grabbed her by her bleeding arm, not too concerned with the wound, and yanked her from the trail and out of sight. He knew when to pick his battles.

* * *

The Andover Clan had their main headquarters set up about two days from Willoughby, with small post camps scattered around. They'd been on the hunt for Miles Matheson after he escaped their clutches not too long ago.

They were quite obviously indiscriminate killers, and when they saw two people standing in the distance of their camp, they saw no need to play nice.

The moment one of the unkempt clan members threw a dagger, the sky decided to cloud up and almost instantaneously drop ungodly amounts of water on everyone. The dagger nicked the smaller one and the two disappeared from sight quite quickly.

They knew the area well enough, but not much would get done in the rain. The biggest of the group shoved one of his camp mates back and the group fell back from their patrol route.

* * *

Sebastian had eyed the cave when he disappeared a few hours prior while they were walking. He'd been known to pop in and out at random after patrolling ahead or behind Charlie. He was a wanted man. And horrifically paranoid. Better safe than sorry, he surmised.

In the time it took for them to get to the cave they were drenched from the seemingly unrelenting rain. If the clouds hadn't darkened the sky, the sun would have already been most of the way down for the day as well. No better place to camp for the night, if anything.

It wasn't winter in Texas but there was an unseasonable nip to the air; exacerbated by the rain. Charlie dropped herself in a heap onto the stone ground and winced in pain. Her jacket had been sliced and she was gushing blood from her wound.

She peeled off her jacket as Sebastian rushed to her side. She motioned to her back and he fetched it without question.

Sebastian glanced at her arm, which was bleeding quite freely. "We're going to have to stitch that. It's not going to stop on its own."

Charlie nodded, "See that purple-ish looking tin in my pack? Get that and my canteen. It's not fresh, but the water is cleaner than anything we can get right now."

He was amazed she knew so much. He knew she'd been raised in this post-apocalyptic hell, it still stunned him. She wasn't that little girl he'd saved from falling out of a tree. She was a battle hardened woman with many capabilities.

They both operated in silence for the next few minutes. Sebastian cleaned her wound and stitched it slowly and methodically. He could hear her wince and moan in pain as she dug her fingers of her free hand into the wet cloth of his shirt.

Once the final stitches were complete and he'd tied off the suture Charlie handed him a small glass jar with an aloe based salve to cover it. Her fingers were cold and blue and her body was shaking with a mix of shock and cold from being wet.

Sebastian glanced around the cave. There was no firewood, nor any usable wood from outside the cave. He was starting to shiver himself and was unsure of what to do next.

Charlotte spoke with a bit of a tremble to her bluing lips, "L-lay out the blankets, please. Just don't poke me in the back."

He laughed. He was glad she'd said it for the both of them. He laid out their sleeping gear quickly, a thick pallet of blankets in the far corner of the cave.

They only had snippets of light left before the entire cave went dark for the night, so Sebastian took it upon himself to pack up their bags appropriately, setting them near their makeshift bed before turning to Charlie. She was standing by the bed, a foot or so from him. She was staring at him sheepishly.

"Yes, Charlotte?"

She shook her head and turned her back to him as she slowly began undressing. Their clothes were soaked through, and it made little sense to spoon in warm, dry blankets in wet clothes. He followed suit.

It only took a few seconds for the two to strip down and set their clothes out to dry. It was dark enough they couldn't really see any intimate details of each other. Charlotte was still sheepish. She hated she was being so shy all of a sudden.

Sebastian grunted and pulled her down to the blankets with him. Her body was as cold as fucking ice, and she was standing there acting like a nun. "Charlotte, you know I'm not going to do anything, right?"

Charlie sank into his body quicker then she thought she could, and sighed. She whispered, "I know."

* * *

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, the warmth returning to them both. The two slept for a few hours before Sebastian was the first to wake. He never slept long. It was still quite dark out, the rain falling softly now.

Sebastian sighed and tightened his hold on her. What he would give to sleep like this in the bed in Dallas. To strip off that over sized shirt to see her body in nothing but those cute little boy shorts. Let his hands roam where they wanted…

He felt his body stir suddenly, and the blood started rushing south. He wanted desperately to slide the hand he had on her stomach up, but he wasn't about to molest the girl in her sleep. He was trying to will his sudden and violent erection away but it was stubbornly trying to make its presence known.

Charlie stirred, wiggling her body slightly. He groaned under his breath and tightened his arm on her, hoping to stop her movements. All that did was wake her up faster.

She wasn't typically a light sleeper, but her body woke her up when she felt as if her body got warmer. Almost like a fever without the chills. When she wiggled a bit to try and stretch she realized why. The arm around her waist tightened substantially, and she felt something kind of _twitch_ behind her. Normally, she would have cursed and tried hitting him in the face.

Now though? Now it felt…good. Good to know her body could get that kind of reaction from a man like him. Strong and battle hardened. Capable and scarred. Sexy as hell. It made her lower stomach warm with a sudden need.

Charlie slipped her fingers under the ones holding her down at the waist, and lifted his arm just enough to turn her body to face him. She could feel him go stark still. She couldn't see his face, but she was pretty sure he was wide eyed like a boy who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It made her smile.

She slid a knee up to brush his ever-growing erection. Softly. Deliberately. She'd wanted him ever since Dallas and now that she was warm and they were already naked, there was no time like the present.

He felt her warm knee graze him. More blood rushed where he didn't want it. He couldn't will that away though. He knew she was awake and she'd just done that on purpose. He couldn't help but groan again.

"Charlotte…We can't."

"Mmm…I think we can."

Her hand was inching its way up his arm to the top of his shoulder and then resting on his neck. He gulped and she chuckled.

"Sebastian Monroe; nervous? Would you rather me take the lead?"

Her voice was soft and throaty. He really almost thought he'd imagined what she'd just said. He didn't respond like he should have. To tell her something snarky and scathing in reply. He was no pussy when it came to women. He always knew what he wanted and knew how to get it.

This was different though. She wasn't a normal woman. They had more past than anyone. More than even Emma. Just about as much past as Miles.

Sebastian was so lost in his own mind he didn't realize until it was happening that Charlie got tired of waiting for an answer. Her mouth found his quite effortlessly in the dark and she pushed her lips soundly on his.

He felt his mind shut down save the thumping need for the woman next to him. He responded to her kiss feverishly. Aggressively. She responded in kind.

He almost lost it when he felt one of her tiny hands wrap around his obnoxiously hard length. He pulled back to breathe and to steady himself. It just wouldn't do for him to get off from just being _touched_.

Charlie sucked in a soft breath. The skin in her hand was soft and hard at the same time. She gave a little squeeze to test him and giggled when he shuddered.

"Charlotte, don't do that."

"But it seems as if you like it."

"I'd much rather it be somewhere other than your hand."

She ignored him and squeezed again. He was large. She didn't have to see it to know. They both knew she was exploring him before she'd allow it to go further. Her dainty hand stroked him a few times. She was moving her hand so fucking slow it was utterly torturing him.

Sebastian couldn't take it anymore. He was about to bust and not in any fun way. All the blood had left his head and it hurt. He was throbbing. He wanted to let her touch him in any way she pleased, but he was about to go insane.

He grabbed her hand and pulled it from his length before moving to pin both her wrists above her head. He hovered his heavy weight over her and 'tsked' against her halfhearted protests.

"No, no, Charlotte. Now it's my turn to tease and torture you."

Charlie wasn't the quite type. She sucked in a breath and moaned as his hands started their torturous journey on her body.

* * *

The mast month was no walk in the park for Miles Matheson. After being kidnapped by the Andover Clan he'd not only had his hand broken but was almost drained of his blood by the psychopathic pedophile clan "father" before being rescued by Rachael and Gene.

He was really missing his niece. Rachael could take care of herself, no problem, but she just wasn't Charlie. She didn't have Charlie's tracking or aiming skills. Rachael wasn't quite as motivated as her daughter was either. Charlie saw things in a bigger picture. Rachael was narrower focused on her broken family regardless of the costs.

She'd disappeared on him with a quick hug and a smile close to two months back on her search for Sebastian. He wasn't sure if she'd found him and killed him, found him and got killed herself, or just gave up and kept wandering like an annoying little wanderer girl. If he ever saw her before someone managed to kill him, he was damn sure he'd beat her to death himself for all the trouble.

Trouble was right. Miles was crouched in a bush about a two days ride from Willoughby. Ever since the Patriots showed up and had started thinning out the Andover's he had become suspicious. It was almost as if the war clan was simply lining up to be captured and killed. They fought like he did. There was simply no way they could be cut down that easily.

So, against Rachael's pleads and wishes, he loaded up a bag and snuck out of town. She'd tried to follow but he'd planted his foot to the ground and told her 'no'. When that didn't work, he handcuffed her to her bed to let Gene find.

The bushes had thorns. They were scraping up his face but he paid little notice to it as he maneuvered through them around the camp grounds filled with war clansmen. He stopped when he heard one of them talking.

"Should we go back when the sun comes up?"

"For that blonde girl and dark haired guy? Why bother? They'll come straight through our camp and we can catch them then. I want the girl though. She was pretty."

"Why can't I have her?"

"I said so, that's why. I messed up that red leather jacket though when I threw my dagger. I wanted to barter that off."

_Blonde? Red leather jacket?_

That sounded suspiciously like Charlie. He really didn't have a clue of the dark haired fellow with her could be, unless it was Monroe. He shook his head at that one. There was no way in hell the two would travel together. Maybe it wasn't Charlie anyway. Just a passerby.

Miles cursed. Before Charlie he would have let two strangers walk to their deaths with no problem. Now? Now he had to go warn them. He felt like an idiot.

He adjusted his pack across his back properly and scurried out of the bushes and away from the campsite. He heard them mention there were a few caves not far up from where they'd encountered the two in the first place. It would take him a few hours to get there, but by then the sun would be well enough up for him to find them.

* * *

Sebastian had one hand pinning Charlie's hands above her head, the other caressing and teasing its way around her body.

She whimpered and wiggled, the heat of her body settling between her legs. She could feel the weight of him on top of her. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her legs around his waist.

Sebastian was reveling in the feel of his rough hands on her soft skin. He knew she wanted him. He wanted her. He was just having so much fun teasing her, "Tell me what you want, Charlotte."

Charlie's head was fuzzy. She wanted him inside of her, she knew that. She also wanted to be the one controlling the situation. She'd slept with strong men before, but not ones that dominated her so completely.

She moaned and arched her back. The rain had finally slowed to a stop and the cave was lit up just slightly from the moon. Sebastian licked his lips as he saw the outline of her breasts heaving with her breathing and his hand loosened on her wrists slightly.

It was all she needed to gain the upper hand. She freed a hand and squeezed the muscle of the triceps in the arm supporting most of his weight and he buckled, falling to the side in a thud to avoid landing on her.

"What the-?"

He'd fallen onto his back and before he could finish his exclamation, Charlie had freed herself and turned the tide back to her favor. Her lean legs straddled over his waist and she took his entire girth into herself as she settled onto him. They both moaned simultaneously.

"That's what I want, Sebastian."

His only response was his fingers digging into her thighs. She planted her hands on his hard lower abdomen and began bouncing feverishly. They'd been teasing each other too long.

She was so wet around him, he was afraid he'd slip out every time she lifted her body. His fingers dug into her skin, the nails cutting crescents into the silkiness of her thigh.

Neither of them lasted very long.

With two more quick bounces, Charlie screamed her release, clamping onto him roughly. Sebastian grabbed harder into her thighs and shoved upward with three quick violent pumps before he grunted his release. She let her body milk his for a minute longer before her arms gave out and she fell on top of him.

Sebastian slipped out of her as he rolled them to their sides and tucked her body neatly into his. She sighed contently and neither of them needed to speak.

They drifted off not long afterward.

* * *

The sun had finally risen as Miles found the cave structure the Andover's had spoken of. He was almost certain he was Charlie they were speaking of and was desperate to find her. Most of the caves were small and easily looked into.

He almost lost hope they were even still there until he saw drops of dried blood on the stones leading into a larger cave. He remembered the burlier one saying he threw a knife and cut the girls arm.

Miles wasted no time descending into the cave. If it was Charlie, he had to make sure she'd patched herself up properly.

The cave wasn't too big; forty feet long or so. He saw a lump at the back wall and met it quickly. He released a heavy breath. He'd found his niece.

"Charlie!"

The girl's eyes snapped open and she met the sight of her uncle. She was relieved it wasn't an enemy, because naked wasn't a great fighting outfit.

Miles' face suddenly fell and she stopped breathing.

"Miles?"

Sebastian Monroe lifted his head from behind her and met eyes with his long lost friend.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you for the reviews pretty pretty people. :D

Keep reading and reviewing. It makes me fuzzy.

This chapter has some graphic violence and non-consensual scenes in it, forewarned.

Chapter 6

Miles had never seen red quite like now. A vein in his forehead started throbbing almost immediately upon seeing his friend's face pop up from behind his niece. His _naked_ niece. His eyes locked on Charlie.

"Get dressed."

He spun on a heel and walked out of the cave.

Charlie scrambled from under the blanket and did as she was instructed, paying Sebastian no mind. He would get dressed at his own pace.

After snatching her pack and slinging it around her shoulder she rushed out of the mouth of the cave to find Miles leaning against a tree a short distance ahead.

"Miles ."

"Shut it."

He grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her toward his chosen path.

Charlie glanced back at the tree line where the caves, and Sebastian, were at. She knew he wouldn't have too much trouble catching up but she wasn't sure what would happen when he did.

Miles spoke, catching her attention, "We're about two days away from your mom. There's trouble brewing. We need you there."

"Did trouble cause that?" She poked the cast around his hand and wrist.

"No. That's the trouble that happened before the current trouble. Some of which is about three hours walk up ahead. Plenty has happened while you were out getting your rocks off."

Charlie snorted indigently. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Miles."

He eyed her dangerously, "We don't have time for it now, but trust me, you will."

* * *

Sebastian dropped his head to the makeshift pillows with a thud, staring up at cave ceiling. Of course Miles would come waltzing in after a night like that. He was damn shocked he didn't shoot him on the spot.

They all knew it wouldn't take much effort to catch up to the duo but he figured keeping his distance would be better for all of them at the moment. Sebastian had to figure out the best way to approach the situation without getting stabbed, shot or mutilated.

There was no doubt he'd be injured one way or another, though.

* * *

Miles and Charlie walked together in a fairly uncomfortable silence for what felt like an eternity. Miles had only taken a few spare moments to catch Charlie up to speed on the Andover Clan and Patriots during the last couple of months she'd been gone.

He made a small mention of the campsite littered with Andover's not too far ahead from them and how he'd wanted to skirt the sides as wide as possible to avoid them.

Charlie merely nodded her agreement.

* * *

The sun was high and warm when the two had made it close enough to the Andover camp to split up. Miles sent Charlie off to one side while he continued forward to survey them through the bushes.

It was unusually quiet amongst the clan members that were moving around the tents. He surveyed up the competition in his head as he moved, quietly crossing one foot over the other as he moved.

He counted ten tents and fifteen people. They were gathered in a half circle around a large fire that had a spit set up suitable for roasting large pigs on.

_Or something a little more human shaped,_ Miles thought quickly.

He was almost to the southern end of the camp and home free to rendezvous with Charlie when he heard the group start cheering loudly. They were all crowded together, facing away from him but he noticed four sets of boots walking toward the fire.

"She killed Jon, but we caught her. We should soften her up before we cook her!" One of them yelled.

Miles leaned forward into the bushes to get a better view through the legs of the people blocking his view. He heard mumbling and then a smack. Their prisoner fell to their knees.

He saw the blond hair and red jacket before he saw her face. They caught Charlie. Now it made sense why the camp was quiet. Some of them had gone out tracking.

"Damn it, Charlie. Just _damn it_. How am I gonna get you out of this?" Miles said to himself quietly. He had no idea how he would save her from almost twenty, or more, crazed lunatics who killed for fun.

"You won't have to worry about that!" Someone said behind him.

Miles spun around quickly enough to see four burly men coming at him with heavy boots, and the swing of a log before darkness took over his senses and he slumped over unconscious.

* * *

Sebastian continued to lie around inside the cave for close to an hour before he felt his stomach rumble.

After cleaning and packing everything away he pulled some jerky that'd he'd been hiding from his bag to snack on as he started meandering down the path in search of Charlie and Miles.

He figured he'd keep his distance until Willoughby before showing his face again. Miles would calm down in two days, right?

He doubted it.

Sebastian kept walking until he happened upon a body and the remnants of a struggle. The body, he could easily tell, was that of a war clan member. And he was a large son of a bitch, too. Sebastian couldn't compare him to anything but a brick wall.

He had a knife sticking out of his chest and was amused he'd been killed with his own weapon. The struggle around the body showed signs of another four sets of boots. Three large pair and one smaller pair. The smallest pair was being dragged off further up the path.

It confused him. Did Miles and Charlie get separated at some point before she was ambushed? It seemed unlikely that Miles would be a part of kidnapping someone.

He finished off his last piece of jerky before following the tracks, sword in each hand.

* * *

Miles came to when a bucket of water hit his face. Coughing and sputtering, he rolled to his side to avoid drowning, trying to pull his hands forward to face.

They weren't cooperating.

He opened his eyes and realized he was bound and in the dirt. He sat up with a grunt and shook the water from his face to survey his surroundings. His cast was incredibly itchy.

"Looks like we get to die together, 'eh Uncle Miles?"

It was Charlie, in much the same position as him a couple feet next to him. Her face was bloody and bruised.

She was hit in the face suddenly, a smaller member of the clan striking her, "We said shut up!"

Miles tried to rise to his feet, but was shoved down forcefully. He cursed at the men around them, "Why not hit someone your own size!?"

The man that struck his niece moved over and reared his hand back to hit Miles when Charlie laughed. She spat some blood onto the dirt, "Miles! That's why he's hitting me. I'm the closets person to his size. Although, I think I'm a bit taller."

The smaller, obviously disgruntled, clan member pulled out his gun and aimed it at Charlie when someone yelled, "That's enough Timothy."

The one he had labeled Timothy turned to open in protest when the man put a hand up, silencing him. He was a moderately sized fellow with a striking jaw and handsome face. Charlie mused to herself that he'd probably be more handsome if him and his lot wasn't about to rape and murder her, and whatever else to Miles.

The man addressed Charlie first. A large group of sexually deprived men, of course they'd pay more attention to the pretty girl. "What's your name? I'm Tate."

Charlie was lifted to her feet, "Me? Oh, well I'm little ol' Mary Sue Ellen. I'm travelling from up in North Texas on a search for a husband when your mean friends here took me for a spin. The midget-y one is especially rude."

Her fake Southern Bell accent was spot on. Miles rolled his eyes. Of course, she'd have something sarcastic to say right before they died.

Tate smiled. "You're spunky. I like that. I know your name is Charlie though. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who normally travels with Miles Matheson."

Charlie smirked, "Then don't ask me stupid questions and you won't get a stupid answer."

Miles hissed at her, "Charlie, shut up!" and was rewarded with a kick to his back.

Tate barely glanced in his direction, "No, no, Miles. I like the spunky ones. They're so much fun to break. You won't be smirking much longer, dear."

Charlie clicked her tongue. Truth be told, she was scared shitless. There was no way in hell, however, she'd ever let them see that. "Oh, I will be. Because, if you don't kill me now, you won't be alive much longer to keep seeing me smirk."

Tate's smile faltered a bit but he hid it quickly. He turned to his clan members, "Tie him up and keep at least five of you on him at all times. The sun will go down in a few hours; we'll introduce him to the spit when it does. Take this one to my tent," he motioned at Charlie, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

The men hauled Miles to his feet as he was protesting being separated from Charlie. He had no idea what she was trying to do but he was fairly sure it would get her killed.

Charlie didn't struggle. She merely winked at her uncle and went with the two men who had ahold of each arm.

* * *

It didn't take Sebastian a whole lot of effort to find the pitched tents of the Andover Clan. He lay crouched in a few bushes, behind one of the tents and glanced around

He briefly saw two of them dragging Miles away to a tent on the other side of the camp, but he had no sight of Charlie. He cursed to himself quietly. He couldn't make a move without knowing where they both were.

Sebastian pulled further into the bushes and away from the camp site. He could only hope she wasn't already dead and that Miles wouldn't be killed before nightfall. He would make his move then.

* * *

Charlie was forced into a large stuffy tent and tied to its support beam. The ones that brought her into the tent left with a final glance and a chuckle at her expense. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. She'd just threatened to kill what she assumed was their leader and they just left her alone.

They hadn't searched her when they'd first brought her to the group. She was glad she was nimble enough to bend her leg back to fish the small knife from her boot and cut herself free from the pole.

Once she was free, she glanced around the tent quickly and spotted a worn out truck. Blue eyes looked between the tent opening and trunk a couple of times before she crouched down to open it. Inside were mostly clothes and rations, but mixed in were a handful of rusted and blood covered weapons. Small daggers, an almost useless sword and a fairly sharp battle axe.

She barely had time to move a shirt to the side to grab the axe when she heard someone behind her making a 'tsk, tsk' sound.

Tate had walked up on her without so much as a hint of noise when he caught her in his trunk. She tensed when he'd announced himself and he made quick work of slamming the trunk closed, narrowly missing her hands and grabbing the collar of her jacket.

He threw her to the dirt floor violently, and straddled her chest, pinning her hands with his knees. He smirked as he wrestled the small knife from her grasp and cut her across her cheek, reopening the gash she'd gained earlier.

"I hope I gave you no false hope that this would be pleasant?"

"I hope I gave no impression that I'd let you have me easily?"

He laughed before backhanding her across the face. Charlie's mind went black.

* * *

Miles was almost frantic. This was the second time he'd been held hostage by these people and he was damn near sick of it. As they threw him in a cage that was hidden in one of the other tents they told him once Tate was finished playing with his new toy, they'd make her watch as they burned him over the fire.

The sun wouldn't go down for another few hours. He could hardly imagine the things they could do in that time.

He needed a plan.

Miles groaned the moment he'd thought it. He knew who would have a plan. He didn't even want to contemplate that bastard saving them.

He sunk to the floor with a sigh. "Sebastian, I hope you're smart enough to figure this out and find us. I'll kill you after you rescue us."

* * *

Charlie felt something cold touch her face. She opened her eyes to see Tate dabbing a cloth to her bloody cheek. He was doing it delicately, like he cared. She snorted mentally.

She'd been stripped of her jacket and her arms were bound above her head. She took better notice of the tent's support frame and realized it had rafters. Her body wasn't dangling, but it was still an uncomfortable position.

She glanced down and realized her shoes and pants were gone.

"What the fu—"

"Calm down. I haven't done anything to you…Yet."

Tate stepped back and tossed the bloodied rag to the side before sitting on his cot. "I like the girl to be awake while I amuse myself."

Charlie had no response. She could slowly feel her resolve slipping. There wasn't a way out of this. The bar flashed into her head and it paled in comparison. She knew Sebastian had to be close, but would he save them? Save them before…?

Tate snapped and Charlie met his eyes. He was smirking, his hand rubbing himself through his cargo shorts.

"That's a nice tattoo on your thigh there; right next to that cute scar. Any more of either?"

Charlie would normally have a scathing reply, but she gulped as he unzipped his shorts and pulled his length out for her to see. He stroked it a few times before standing back up, leaving it visible from between the open zipper.

He let it brush against her thigh and she turned her away in disgust.

"You don't like it? Not big enough for a dirty whore like yourself?"

Her response slipped from her mouth before she could stop it, "In your dreams you disgusting bastard. You're going to have to kill me before you get anything like that from me."

He smirked and stooped down to pull a knife from his boot, letting his free hand graze up her leg, over the scar on her thigh and across the apex of her thighs, over her underwear.

"I will. I always do. I have a few hours to play with you first. Why don't we add a few new decorations to your body, so that scar doesn't get lonely?"

Charlie screamed in pain as he drug the knife across her unmarked thigh.

* * *

The sun was finally beginning to set when Sebastian made his way around the backs of the tents. He remembered where he saw Miles being taken and knew that'd be his best shot at saving both him and Charlie.

He found the tent only guarded with two men in the front. The back entrance to the tent was opened and unguarded, another three men inside sitting in chairs.

Miles and Sebastian met eyes and both sprang into action. Miles threw his metal cup through the bars of the cage at the closest one to his cage.

He stood up in anger, and Sebastian's sword cut across his back. As the body fell to the ground he made no hesitations at slipping each of his swords into the guts of the other two men.

It was quietly over before it started.

Sebastian held his finger up in silence at Miles as he edged to the tent's front entrance. He tapped the canvass of the tent, and the two came in under the assumption it was their friends.

The first was met with both swords to his chest, and the other a broken neck. Sebastian grabbed the keys to the cage quickly.

"Where's Charlotte?"

Miles scrambled from the open door quickly, grabbing for any weapon he could find, "A tent on the other side of the clearing. She's been alone with him for hours, Bass. I don't…I don't know what he's done to her."

Sebastian felt rage welling up inside his stomach. He knew, for Miles to suddenly want him at his side, something bad was happening. Something bad was happening to Charlie.

"Let's go get her, Miles."

* * *

The front of Charlie's flimsy tank top was cut open, a shallow cut across her chest. Tate was licking his tongue through the blood, his hands holding a bra covered breast in each hand roughly.

Tears were in her eyes as he bit into the soft flesh of her left breast.

Her thighs and stomach were littered with cuts of various depths and lengths, blood seeping from them slowly. He'd been taking his time with her, slipping his hands into her panties and rubbing her roughly until she'd try jerking away while he cut across her body with his knife.

He stepped back to eye his work, stroking along his throbbing erection. He'd removed his shirt some time ago, and undid his cargo pants to free himself more fully. They hung low on his hips.

Sitting on the edge of his cot, he tugged at his erection frantically. The blood and bruises on her body were keeping him hard past the point of pain. He needed the release. He only needed to stroke himself a few minutes before he groaned, releasing into his hand.

He was still hard.

"We're almost done playing, darling. Let me just rid you of that shirt."

Charlie closed her eyes softly. If she couldn't fight back, she'd defy her treatment in silence. She was weak from blood loss, and she wished she could pass out to avoid feeling what he wanted to do to her.

The knife was cutting up from the bottom hem, grazing up her stomach. She could feel the sting of the blade leaving another cut in its path.

Tate made short work of the fabric as he finished cutting it from her body, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties, the edge of her areola peaking from the cup of the breast he'd bitten.

He stabbed the knife into the wooden pole next to her.

"So you _do_ have more tattoos."

He fingered the tattoo spanning her ribs on the right side of her body. It was thick black lettering spelling out 'Survive'. She was sure the irony of it amused him.

He let his hand glide across the flowers of her lower back and slid a hand into her underwear to grasp her ass. His eyes caught side of the insignia on her shoulder.

"Why do you have the Monroe insignia?"

Charlie didn't answer. He growled in her ear, the hand holding her rear sliding forward to plunge two fingers roughly into her. She gasped in pain.

"Answer me!"

Before she could, they both heard a sudden commotion outside the tent. It was men from the Andover Clan screaming for help. Calling for each other.

Charlie found a sudden bucket of energy and she smirked, "Because, I gave my body to the man who's cutting down your men right now. And when this is all done, I'm going to cut your heart out of your chest and show it to you."

Tate growled and pulled his hand from her quickly, rushing to the entrance of the tent.

The second the tent flap fell shut, Charlie stretched her body as long as she could, raising one arm high enough to lower the other. Her fingers could barely grasp the hilt of the knife but she forced her body to stretch past the point of pain.

Her fingers circled the hilt and she pulled the knife free of the wooden pole. Some of the cuts on her stomach popped open and she could feel the warm blood seeping down to the hem of her panties. She paid no mind as she began cutting herself free.

* * *

Sebastian and Miles lost control of their minds as they burst from the tent, swords drawn. Miles threw an axe he'd taken from one of the bodies behind him and watched it sink into the back of an Andover member.

Noise and men erupted from around them. They were spilling from the tents all holding weapons.

None of them stood a chance.

Tate stood outside his tent in horror. He made no attempt to cover his body when he came outside to come to the sight of his men being butchered.

Butchered by only two men.

Miles caught sight of him first. Miles saw the man standing there with his dick out and no shirt on, blood across his chest. He was sure it was Charlie's blood.

"Sebastian!"

Sebastian glanced to Miles as he pulled his sword from the gut of one of the men. Miles wasn't bogged down but realized he couldn't make a quick escape to his intended goal when he pointed with his sword.

Sebastian and Tate caught eyes. He felt his mind and body shut down with anger as Tate smirked, wrapped a hand around his erection and rushed back inside of the tent.

Sebastian made a personal vow to feed that man his dick the moment he reached him. He nodded at Miles and began slicing his way to the tent.

* * *

Tate wouldn't die alone. He'd take their precious Charlie with him. He'd make sure they walked in and saw him fucking their adorable little girl in the ass, bent over his bed, bloodied and crying.

He turned into the tent with every intention of attacking Charlie on site; except she wasn't where she should have been.

The spot he had her dangling from the rafters was empty; the ropes on the ground.

He took two more steps into the tent when Charlie slinked up behind him, having been hiding just next to the tents entrance. She sunk his knife to the hilt into his side, chipping a rib.

She didn't wait for retaliation. She pulled the knife free and dug it back into his body, repeating the motion multiple times.

Tate fell to his knees then to his side. Charlie kicked him over to his back and straddled his waist, making sure to sit above his disgusting lower half. She had lost control. She stabbed him in the stomach. Her mind lost count after eight.

He was gurgling blood and slowly dying. She stabbed the knife into his chest one more time, dragging a long line underneath his heart. Sinking her left hand into the wound, she felt warm blood cover her arm up to her elbow.

Sebastian rushed into the tent and found Charlie on top of a dying Andover.

"Charlotte!"

She didn't hear him. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears as her fingers clamped around Tate's heart.

Charlie felt someone grab ahold of her by the shoulders and yank her back. She didn't release her hold and the heart she had a grip on came free with her hand. She vaguely realized it was Sebastian holding onto her.

Tate was looking up at Charlie as he felt the last bit of life leaving him. She was smirking at him with his heart in her hand.

She spoke as he gurgled his last breath, "Now whose smirking, mother fucker."

Sebastian was horrified. Charlie crushed the heart in her hand, blood spurting across her face, before dropping it into the dirt.

"Charlotte. Look at me!"

She turned her head but her eyes were unfocused. He didn't know if he'd raped her, but he could tell she got her revenge. A bloody hand came up and touched his cheek.

Charlie smiled at him before looking at her hand. She left a bloody print on Sebastian's face. Suddenly, the adrenaline wore away from her body and her own blood loss caught up to her.

She looked back at Sebastian, his concerned his boring into hers. She spoke the two words they both needed to hear before passing out into his arms.

"He didn't."


End file.
